Al Franken: Sarah Palin Endorsement of Ortman Mentioned in Email

Al Franken is using Sarah Palin's endorsement of his opponent to fundraise for his fast-approaching 2014 Senate re-election campaign in Minnesota.

"Sarah Palin is now involved in the race — she just endorsed the Republican who, according to the Koch-affiliated poll, is only three points down," Franken wrote in an email sent to supporters on Monday.

In late March, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate released a statement endorsing Minnesota State Sen. Julianne Ortman, who is presently seeking the Republican Party's Senate nomination in the GOP primary.

Referring to her as a solid conservative, Palin said that Ortman would fight for small businesses and understands "the burden our federal government places on hard-working Americans," The Associated Press reported.

"The only way to beat Al Franken is with a public servant from the people, not from the establishment in Washington, and Julianne Ortman is just that public servant," Palin said in the statement. "Julianne is a fighter for life and for our Second Amendment rights."

In his plea for funds from his progressive base, the New York City-born Franken went on to list a series of threats to his re-election aside from Palin's endorsement.

"The Supreme Court just demolished one of the few spending limits we had left, removing the overall limit on how much wealthy individuals can spend on candidates," he wrote. "The Koch-backed attack group running ads against me just put out a new poll showing two of my Republican opponents within single digits — and, regardless of whether you trust their numbers, it’s sure to egg on more right-wing attacks."

Franken, known for his writing and acting career on "Saturday Night Live" prior to his political career, narrowly beat out former Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman in 2008, by just 312 votes out of nearly 3 million ballots cast. The win came courtesy of a recount.